Healthy Eating

A healthy balanced diet is one that provides all the energy and nourishment that we need to survive. We should all try to eat the correct amount and types of food to provide our body with all the resources and fuels we need to stay healthy. A balanced diet is particularly important for children, to provide the resources their bodies need to grow and develop, and for pregnant women who need to consume a diet that will provide for their unborn baby.

A simple way to help you achieve the balance of good health is to try to eat foods from the five groups. Learn more about the 5 food groups by clicking here!

Whom Does This Apply To?

These recommendations apply to almost everyone, except children under two years of age. Where possible, babies should just have breast milk until they are at least four months old, and preferably, until they are six months old. Breast milk provides babies with all the nutrients they need. After weaning, babies should have full fat milk (from one year of age) and dairy products, rather than low fat varieties. From two to five years of age, children should make a gradual transition towards eating a wide variety of family foods in the proportions recommended here.

Some people may have special dietary needs that have to be taken into account. Others may have food allergies or intolerances and others may choose not to eat certain foods (e.g. meat and animal products). These people need to take extra care to ensure their diet still contains all the nutrients they need.

Food and You

The Healthy Snack Challenge Lesson

In Partnership between LYSOL® Disinfecting and Cleaning Solutions and Family Education Network

In this project, groups of students will create a healthy snack menu for a particular school week, keeping in mind nutritional guidelines, a fixed snack budget, and food storage and preparation safety.

Objectives

Students will describe the components of a healthy diet.
Students will create a healthy snack menu.
Students will follow a snack budget.
Students will safely prepare snacks for classmates.

Materials:

Healthy Eating Background Information (for the teacher).
Healthy Snacking handout (for the students).
Grocery store flyers - 3 to 5 for each group (Online grocery-store sites can be used, in addition to flyers).
Cups and/or plates.
Utensils.
Napkins and paper towels.
Disinfectant cleaner.

Procedure:

Review the background information on Healthy Eating.
Distribute the Healthy Snacking handout.
Discuss the suggested daily portions and items in each category with the class.
Divide the class into cooperative groups.
Determine an appropriate snack budget by estimating the cost of a sample snack for the entire class. Divide the cost by the number of students in the classroom, adding one extra snack for a possible classroom visitor.
Have groups use the grocery-store flyers as guides for creating a five-day drink and food snack menu that aligns with nutritional guidelines and the snack budget.
Groups should include foods and drinks that represent at least three of the food groups for each snack.
Students then create a grocery list for their five-day snack menu.
On a given week, the group will safely prepare the snacks for classmates by storing food properly in the classroom and/or kitchen, disinfecting their food-preparation area, washing their hands before handling foods, washing fruits and vegetables, and cleaning the snack area after eating.

Learn more about the 5 food groups by clicking here: www.mypyramid.gov Leave Site